Unspoilt is a bit of a rotten adjective to use in village descriptions as the inference of its use could be that the villages it’s not used to describe are spoilt. They’re not spoilt, but Harlton is unspoilt. It’s about 6 miles from the city, off the A603 or through the villages of Haslingfield and Barton. The roll through the village is particularly pleasing as most of the buildings are laid back from the road giving it a pleasantly open feeling. The thatched Hare and Hounds pub is the perfect advert for a community ownership, doing a fine trade to locals and muddy-footed walkers who slide down the wooded ridge that runs along the top of the village and in from the nature reserve that surrounds a historic clunch pit.
The roll through the village is particularly pleasing as most of the buildings are laid back from the road giving it a pleasantly open feeling.
Next-door Haslingfield has a shop, primary school and other bits and bobs and Comberton (2.5 miles) has a seemingly-always-high-performing secondary school and further facilities. Barrington’s famous village green is just over the hill and through the woods. A fine Sunday walk. For the commuter the A603 leads to the M11 and to the west via the A1198 to Royston and the A505. You can hop on a train to London at Shepreth (4.5 miles) or faster ones go from Cambridge and Royston (9 miles).
